France ready to evacuate citizens from Lebanon

PARIS, July 15 (Reuters) French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin today said France was ready to evacuate its nationals from Lebanon, which has come under attack from Israeli aircraft.

''We want to make sure we have all measures in place to guarantee the safety of our citizens,'' said Villepin, speaking after an emergency government meeting on the situation.

''We have alerted the navy and set up both civilian and military aircraft to help any French national who wishes to leave Lebanon to do so,'' he added.

Israeli planes have pounded Lebanon after an attack on Wednesday by Lebanese guerrilla group Hizbollah, which captured two Israeli soldiers.

Lebanon is a former French colony and many French citizens have business and family ties with the country.

REUTERS AK PM1443